Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

The bandit leader and the white-haired woman were both shocked. The bandit was especially astonished, repeatedly pulling on the reins and shouting, "Duke! Duke! You say you're the Duke's man!"

"Yes, the Duke's distinguished guest recently arrived in his territory. We calculated the time and thought he should arrive today, so we came out to welcome him. We never expected to be ambushed by you guys here."

The white-haired woman was startled. This explained everything. Why did he have that strange book on him? But her heart sank quickly. After Aaron announced the Duke's name, the bandits not only didn't panic, but they all quieted down. They looked at Aaron with a strange look. The white-haired woman recognized that look; it was the look of extreme greed after seeing treasure.

The white-haired woman quickly realized that this was a foolish move. Since they dared to attack her, they must either have a powerful backer or have already put their lives and fortunes on the line. Revealing the Duke's name would not deter them, but would instead arouse their greed and make them demand even more.

"Hahaha! I didn't expect it to be the Duke's distinguished guest! Brothers! Keep another three hundred meters between us!" The leader of the bandits suddenly laughed and shouted viciously.

Once they passed through the forest, they reached the foot of the mountain. Everyone in this area had heard of the Duke's reputation, but instead of being afraid, they became greedy. The band of bandits retreated three hundred meters in an orderly fashion, and now Aaron could only see a few figures in the distance.

The white-haired woman's heart sank completely. The previous distance of 300 meters was already the limit for ordinary superhumans. At that distance, the white-haired woman could still hope that Aaron would perform a heroic act and save the man. But now they were so far apart, and they had already put a knife to the man's neck. No matter how fast they were, they would definitely have time to react.

Maintaining distance is a sign of respect for the Duke's status.

"Since it's the Duke who wants to ransom him, the price he offers can't be so stingy!" The leader of the bandits laughed loudly.

The wind rustled through the bamboo leaves, creating a soft sound in the woods. A gentle breeze blew in from the trees. Aaron stood in the wind with his hands behind his back, not saying a word, seemingly listening to the wind.

The white-haired woman knelt on one knee, her body trembling. She had no choice; the man was her companion, and their lives were in their hands. She had to save him.

"Please, save him." The white-haired woman's voice was cold, but it was no longer the cold that kept people at a distance. Instead, it evoked the image of someone standing in the rain on a rainy day, their body and mind trembling with cold.

Aaron remained standing in the wind, staring straight ahead without speaking or turning around, seemingly oblivious to the white-haired woman's words.

The white-haired woman gritted her teeth and suddenly cried out, "Please, save him!"

At that moment, a sudden gust of wind swept past them, and the heart mark on the white-haired woman's tongue lit up faintly. Aaron swore an oath with the heart book and signed a contract with the white-haired woman, using the contract to control her. However, the contract was actually a double-edged sword. Conversely, under certain conditions, Aaron had to do something for the white-haired woman.

The white-haired woman didn't know what Aaron had written in the contract; only he knew. She guessed that Aaron had to take responsibility for his own life, or even that their lives were intertwined. But regardless, since the white-haired woman had already fulfilled the contract, Aaron had to fulfill it as well.

The heart mark on the white-haired woman's body flickered more and more rapidly, and the wind in the forest grew stronger, but Aaron remained unmoved, standing there neither speaking nor turning around.

Perhaps it was the wind, but the bandits' horses began to neigh restlessly. The bandits seemed to sense something was amiss and said coldly, "Why is the woman beside you not saying a word?"

"Her."

Aaron looked at them and said coldly, "You'll see soon enough."

The bandits, bewildered and filled with inexplicable fear, were about to rein in their horses and leave when the leaves parted in the woods, and a huge black shadow descended from the sky. Ottilia rose from the center of the herd, raised her longsword, and said:

"what!"

Just as the bandits' screams of terror erupted, a massive iceberg suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the crowd. The warhorses, covered in scales but with their bellies undefended, were lifted off the ground by the iceberg, their bodies hanging on the iceberg like scraps of flesh on bones, making a "squeaking" sound.

From beginning to end, Aaron did not place his hopes on negotiations. He knew the nature of the bandits near Qingshan better than the white-haired woman. There was nothing to talk about with these desperate men. He stalled for time from start to finish, even going so far as to invoke the Duke's name.

Hearing the Duke's name, they not only did not back down, but became even more greedy. They still did not understand Aaron's thoughts and fantasized that the Church of the Imposter would spend money with the Duke to redeem the men. They did not know that for Aaron, anyone who heard the Duke's name here would only face death.

"catch him!"

The moment Ottilia appeared, some people jumped off their warhorses, rolled on the ground, and immediately went to capture the prisoner.

Ottilia was careful not to hurt the hostage, so the iceberg did not pierce the horse's belly, but the man's body was thrown high into the air by the impact.

Ottilia also noticed the bandits, grabbed her longsword, and charged towards the man in the air. She was full of killing intent and killed everyone she encountered. All the enemies who flew over to block her were killed by her with a single slash!

But in the end, the bandit who was closer to the man grabbed the saber first. Seeing their brother die suddenly, they were already bloodthirsty and did not hesitate. The moment they touched the longsword, the bandit leaped high, gripped the hilt in reverse, and thrust it straight into the chest.

Ottilia and the white-haired woman both screamed. The white-haired woman turned pale, while Ottilia suddenly accelerated, stomping her right foot on the ground, preparing to throw her longsword. Throwing the sword might cut the bandit with the knife in two, but the man would probably also be cut in half by the blade. But Ottilia didn't care anymore. Becoming a human stump was better than dying here!

Ottilia steeled her heart, the white-haired woman's heart already half-cold. Just as Ottilia was about to throw the cold jade, a gust of wind lightly flew past Aaron. The wind was extremely gentle, but its speed was extremely fast. In almost an instant, it reached the bandit's back. The moment the wind touched him, the bandit holding the knife suddenly stiffened, his body in mid-air lost its strength, and he fell straight down.

Not only him, but almost all of his companions died instantly, as if the Grim Reaper had swept across the sky and taken their lives in an instant.

Ottilia went from a frantic chase to a slow jog, and when she arrived at the corpses, the dozen or so bandits had died instantly, lying haphazardly on the ground. There were no obvious external injuries on their bodies; they had simply fallen straight to the ground. Ottilia squatted down, picked up one of the bandits' corpses, and sure enough, she saw a small wound on the back of his head, where his brainstem had been pierced by a sharp object.

After confirming that there were no enemies around, Ottilia stood up, lowered her head, and turned to leave, but Aaron grabbed her sword from behind: "That's not the way back."

Ottilia lowered her head, looking like she didn't want to talk to Aaron, but her soft little hand was held by Aaron and she didn't shake it off. Aaron looked at the girl with her cheeks puffed out, sulking with him, and sighed helplessly.

The woman looked at the two strange people with a strange expression on her face, but Joyce's groans soon interrupted her thoughts. Joyce had woken up, his brows furrowed, coughing violently, and blood kept gushing from his mouth.

Just as the woman was about to ask Aaron for help, Aaron pulled Ottilia to Joyce's side and asked with concern, "Brother, how are you hurt?"

Aaron crouched down and quickly untied the ropes binding Joyce. The moment the ropes were removed, Joyce's body leaked blood-red spiritual energy like a deflated balloon.

With his spiritual energy dissipated, Joyce was covered in blood and sweat, practically a blood-soaked figure. Most doctors would consider burying him immediately or trying to save him, but Aaron deftly tore off the clothes that were almost stuck to his flesh, revealing a shocking wound on his neck.

An ordinary person would certainly be in dire need of medical care to recover from such an injury, but Joyce's heartbeat was steady. Although it was not life-threatening, Joyce's wounds were still a headache.

Before the woman could say anything, Aaron rolled up his sleeves, first taking out medicine and pouring it all over Joyce's body. Then, he deftly cut open Joyce's blood-stained shirt, took out a clean white cloth, and began cleaning Joyce's wounds. The woman frowned, not understanding what Aaron was doing, only finding his method of treating the wounds rather strange. Joyce screamed in pain because the medicine was being sprayed directly into his wounds, his face contorted as he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Aaron bustling around on his body, and a murderous glint flashed in his cloudy eyes, his right hand's knuckles cracking. However, the woman's voice immediately pulled him back to reality:

"Don't move, he's healing you."

Joyce's eyes widened, staring at Aaron with suspicion and uncertainty, like a wounded beast. Aaron, meanwhile, wiped his sweat as he bandaged Joyce's wound, seemingly oblivious to Joyce's clenched fist.

“You should have some healing items on you, right?” Joyce reached out her hand behind her.

Joyce first smelled a refreshing herbal fragrance, which greatly reduced his worries. When the ointment was applied to his body, he first felt a cool sensation, and after a while, the wounds where the ointment was applied began to feel warm. He felt incredibly comfortable. After this alternation of hot and cold, the pain in his wounds was greatly reduced. Joyce felt extremely tired and relaxed, and his eyelids began to droop.

Chapter 265 Calling Each Other Brothers

Aaron wiped the sweat from his brow, smiled, and put away the white sheet covering him. It would have been better if he hadn't brought it up; the more he did, the more he seemed like a young doctor.

Christina was puzzled, but Joyce suddenly spoke up: "Senior sister, our benefactor has already spoken, how can we not show any gratitude?"

Christina was taken aback. She looked at Joyce and saw a strange light in his eyes. Then she understood what he meant and said, "I don't have any money on me."

Joyce struggled to her feet and said apologetically, "Oh... I almost forgot, all the money is with me..."

After saying that, he clenched his fist again, then loosened it, and reached towards the back of his shirt, seemingly touching the gold coins behind him.

“He’s not a doctor, he’s the Duke’s man,” Christina suddenly said.

Joyce's hand, which was reaching for the money, suddenly stopped. He pulled his hand out from behind his back, looking at Aaron with a stunned expression: "It's... Aaron, sir?"

Aaron was four years older than Joyce. Logically, it wouldn't be unreasonable for Joyce to call him "Sir." However, Joyce's status was extraordinary; he was superior in every way, far beyond the reach of ordinary noble families. Even the proud nobles would secretly rejoice at being addressed as "Sir" by him. Aaron paused for a moment, then said with a broad smile:

"Not at all, I was hunting in the forest with my students when I unexpectedly ran into Lord Joyce here, and I never expected that Lord Joyce would encounter bandits here."

As he spoke, Aaron stood up and sighed heavily, "These bandits have been wreaking havoc in this area for a long time..."

Seeing Aaron's deeply furrowed brows and troubled expression, Joyce endured the pain and stood up, saying, "Lord Aaron, don't worry. Tell me the names of the bandits, and I'll bring men tomorrow to kill them all."

Looking at the two people in front of her, exchanging insincere pleasantries, Christina silently turned away. This kind of hypocritical conversation was what she hated most during this journey; it filled her with disgust.

“By the way, he’s my partner in this line of work, Christina Halls,” Joyce introduced enthusiastically.

Aaron greeted Christina warmly, but Christina only gave him a cold look before turning her head away. Joyce found it strange but didn't think much of it, assuming it was just Christina's aloof personality. She continued her enthusiastic conversation with Aaron, discussing how to eliminate the bandits. The two discussed the matter passionately, like kindred spirits who had shared hardships. This made Christina's gaze grow colder. On the contrary, Ottilia, who was silently following behind Aaron, seemed much more agreeable.

"A vixen..."

Ottilia narrowed her beautiful deep red eyes and coldly brushed past her. Christina watched the girl's back as her long golden hair rose and fell behind her.

In their short conversation, Aaron seemed to have truly become good friends with Joyce. He supported Joyce along the way, not caring that his clothes were soiled, and worked tirelessly without complaint. Joyce's eyes welled up with emotion. Along the way, Aaron kept asking if they should find a place to rest, but Joyce refused, saying with a smile, "It's alright, I'm more eager to see the Duke now."

Christina watched as the two got along like brothers, and seeing Aaron's affectionate gaze, she felt increasingly that it was all fake, and her disgust grew.

Although the group returned without stopping, Joyce's injuries meant that what should have been a journey of less than an hour took until the sun was setting before they could even see the building in the distance. By the time they reached the foot of the building, the group of four had become a group of three.

The setting sun cast its rays across the sky, and the mountain path was adorned with blooming flowers. However, looking up, one could still see many steps, which would normally be a symbol of grand architecture, but now they no longer seemed so.

"It's okay, I'll carry you up," Aaron said with a smile.

"Thank you so much." Joyce did not refuse.

*

Late at night, in Aaron's room.

He brought Joyce to the Duke's house today. The Duke was initially surprised to see them, but quickly became welcoming. However, because Joyce was injured, they couldn't drink, so they went to bed early.

After Aaron returned to his room, he did not go to sleep. Instead, he took out the Book of Darkness and silently closed his eyes.

This is a new ability he acquired after obtaining the Book of Darkness.

Memories surfaced like ripples on water, first revealing the face of a strange young man. His face resembled Joyce's, but he was beardless, with a pale, scholarly air, and full of youthful vigor, quite different from Joyce.

The scene is told from a third-person perspective, maintaining a distance from the unfamiliar young man at all times, before the perspective shifts to Christina's.

From Christina's perspective, the man's beard grew longer and longer as he went from boyhood to youth, got married and had children, and slowly entered middle age. His beard also turned a little gray, and he became a very old man.

The final scene is a tomb, the closest Christina has ever been to a man. She is crouching, wearing armor and a huge white cloak, looking very different from how she looks now. The only thing that remains unchanged is her expressionless, ageless face.

Kneeling before the grave, stretching out her fingers as if pondering how to carve an epitaph for the man, Christina finally inscribed "Tomb of Lin Shouzhi" on the tombstone before turning away.

That was over a hundred years ago.

The scene shifts again, and after another generation, Joyce finally appears in the picture. Let's call him Joyce II for now. However, Joyce is currently crying loudly in his swaddling clothes, his face contorted in a grimace.

At this time, the future nobleman was still a newborn baby. Joyce's father excitedly told Christina the good news and even hoped that she could name him.

The following scenes show the news of Joyce's father's death in battle, and Joyce growing up. After Joyce's father's death, Christina even served as Joyce's teacher for a period of time. Although Joyce was just one of a group of students, Christina took extra care of him because he was the son of a deceased friend.

The memory basically ends here. When Aaron saw these scenes, he could even sense Christina's emotions as well.

Having gone through all that, it's no wonder that Christina always treated Joyce like a child. In fact, she secretly felt that as his father's former boss, she had an obligation to teach him well.

"You've seen all my memories. How about it? Do you think it's foolish?" Christina's figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

"No, it's just that my hand will be a little heavier when I kill him. But I think I can understand why you are unwilling to betray him. You have seen three generations of the Shan family. You have more feelings for the Void God Cult."

He sighed and said, "But I still have no choice. I still have to kill him, and you will still become a mindless puppet."

Christina fell silent. At this point, she had almost exhausted herself. She was too tired to make any more choices and was only holding on with her last bit of strength to put up a final stand.

“There’s another way,” Aaron said.

"What method?"

"By handing you over completely to me, you already know about my possession of the Dark Book. I can forcibly pull you back from Joyce's control."

Five-tenths means that after agreeing, she has to give half of it to the man in front of her, even though they have only just met.

“After you give me five-tenths of your strength, you will recover more than half of your power. Don’t you want half of your previous power? That’s half! Think about the moment when you were powerless, and think about what would have happened if you had half of your power at the time of the incident?” Aaron continued to coax Christina.

Christina lowered her head and handed over half of herself to him. Anyway, she had already sold herself to someone else long ago and lived peacefully for hundreds of years. Half of her hesitation had been eliminated, but Aaron's soft tone still made her a little uneasy. She didn't know what would happen after she gave him half of herself.

What would that person do to her after he got half of her? Would she still have a chance to resist him? Just thinking about these things made her heart tremble, and she subconsciously swallowed. At that moment, Aaron's hand was already on her waist.

For the first time, Christina's lower body went limp, and she almost collapsed into Aaron's arms, feeling powerless all over. She lay on Aaron's chest, trembling slightly.

“If you don’t agree, then I’ll have to kill him,” Aaron said softly, touching his forehead to hers and looking into her eyes.

"Okay..." came a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz from Christina in his arms.